Amber Nash (2015)

Amber Nash is an American actress. She currently stars in the cartoon Archer as Pam Poovey, whom she describes as "a sturdy bisexual". She also starred in the cartoon Frisky Dingo. Amber also has extensive experience in theatrical performances. She is a co-founder of the The Doug Dank Project at Push Push Theatre; she is also part of the Catch 23. Amber Nash studied with Improv Olympic in Chicago. She has been doing theater for approximately 13 years in the Atlanta, Georgia area. She is part of the Improv Ensemble at Dad's Garage Theater, where she is a performer, teacher, creator and director. She is also involved at The Laughing Matters, working as an improviser, actor and team builder.

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About the Amber Nash Interview

Hiya Reddit! Very excited to be back for another AMA. I hope some weirdo asks for a close-up picture of the inside of my bent arm again for his spank bank.

My new series just launched yesterday and I'm really excited to share it with you guys! It's got murder, sex and a weed smoking Bigfoot, you know something for everybody. So, I hope you get to check it out, I really do think it's the funniest thing (other than Archer of course) that I've ever done. Here is a direct link to the first episode for the lazies...

So, I'll be here for the next few hours. Feel free to ask me about me Archer, voice acting or any other wackadoo stuff you can think of. ADDED BONUS!! I'll be giving away a signed dolphin puppet and some other stuff I can rustle up to my favorite questions of the day, so choose your words wisely!
Starting at 11:00am EST

EDIT: Hey Guys! Gonna take a break for lunch and I'll be back around 2:00 so keep those questions comin! I might even do some video responses, so pick some good ones.

A few more things about Hart of America...First thing to know, I play 4 characters in this thing. That old narrator man? Me. Cop? Me. Weird Hippie? Me. Grandma? Me too!
The other thing to know is that this is a narrative series so you kinda have to watch everything so it makes sense, but man oh man, episode 7 is epic and I'd love to hear what you think of it.

EDIT** I'm back! Just had to take a quick break to eat some lunch, make my bed and watch The Chew. I really am an old lady!

EDIT***HIYA! I'm gonna sign off for a bit. I'll be back this evening to answer a handful more, you guys are the best! Thanks for making this such a fun day.

Amber Nash Nov 03, 2015

SeryaphFR

Oh my God, it was exactly like that!

Amber Nash

What is Judy Greer like when she's not doing Cheryl/Carol? The way the character has evolved is one of my favorite parts of the show. Everyone is deranged in their own way, but Cheryl has just sprinted into full-on psychosis. How much of this comes from Judy?

Can't wait for the next season of Archer, and I'm going to check out Hart of America as soon as I'm done with work!

Archchancellor

Judy is super fun and full of energy and kooky for real. Adam has gotten to know us all better over the years and really writes the characters for us more than ever. So I do feel like a lot of that comes from Adam knowing what Judy is capable of. I love Cheryl so much too!

Amber Nash

What did you do to get into character for Pam when she was addicted to coke?

danglingfern

I'd like to say that the whole time we were recording that season that I was on a cocaine bender but alas it was pretty much the same prep as usual, maybe a little more coffee before I went in. I just had to be really excited about most anything. So I just jumped around in the booth a lot.

Amber Nash

If Archer became a live action movie, who plays Pam?

LivingInTheVoid

My dream would be John Goodman! Or me...somehow!

Amber Nash

Every time I see Jillian Bell I think she's got the face of a thinner, live action Pam

Mentalseppuku

ohhh I see that.

Amber Nash

Were there any memorable moments in the recordings/production or Archer you'd like to share? Funny, weird, gross, take your pick! (Bonus points for one of each.)

ManBearPaul

My favorite is still when recorded the episode where Pam is humping the gyro and they weren't quite getting what they wanted out of me so our EP was like "Amber watch me and just make the right noises" so he just started humping around the studio and I made humping noises. That was the day that I realized that hands down I had the best job ever.

Amber Nash

Do you come up with Pam's one liners ("Holy shitsnacks") or do the writers?

qbubbles

That is all Adam Reed!

Amber Nash

Constructing that whole story seemed just a little too easy

More_Metal

I've been thinking about it a lot!

Amber Nash

What was it like to have sex with Archer?

danglingfern

I was so excited when I found out that it was happening. I knew Pam would blow his socks off! It's gotta happen again!

Amber Nash

Imagine that you and Pam were on a girls' night out in town, what would you do and where or how do you expect to wake up the next morning ;-)?

Kristie81

Well we'd probably start the night out at Golden Corral and after we decimated the carving station we'd pour the chocolate fountain in our purses and hit Crammers for 2 for 1 lap dance night but then we get kicked out for hitting the stage and destroying the pole with our poons. So there is nothing left to do but hang with some homeless dudes behind the Chevron and pound a few 40s. Then as the sun comes up over the mountain of garbage (cause now we're at the city dump) we look at each other and start singing Wind Beneath my Wings!

Kristie81, I'm sending you a dolphin. PM me your address!

Amber Nash

In what ways do you relate to your character?

Bear_Raping_Killer

I have a ton of guy friends and always have, so I get being one of the dudes. Also, my mouth has and will continue to get me in trouble.

Amber Nash

Your steed has arrived Ms.Nash

ShrodingersLion

Yeeeeessss!

Amber Nash

Welcome back to reddit!

Has Adam Reed given you any insight into Pam's backstory, such as how she met Malory and joined her company or how she joined a Japanese racing gang?

Also, are there any details about the next season that you can talk about?

Stay classy, Amber!

symbiosa

Not really, but I love the episodes that give some character back story they are so much fun so may be soon we'll know more.

So next season is so much fun! We've recorded about half of them and they are in a new environment, it's not a total reboot like season 5 was, but it's new and fresh and so funny. The most important thing is that they are all still horrible assholes to each other. We air in March this year cause we are moving to FXX.

Amber Nash

Who is your favorite: Cheryl or Carol?

chubby-tired

Cherlene!

Amber Nash

What is your favorite insult from Archer? As Pam does seem to have a number of novel ones.

SRD_Grafter

Gotta be "shut your dick holster".

Amber Nash

1.) How much improvisation makes it into Archer?

2.) I thought the 'Cherlene' album was actually really great, was that the cast singing at the end of 'Straight to Hell'?

easymz

Not a lot actually, the scripts are already so tight there isn't much need for it.
I loved the album too and yep that's me, Lucky and Adam singing at the end of "Straight to Hell"!

Amber Nash

Do you think that crabs look up from the ocean floor and think that fish are flying?

whilst_i_poop

It's hard to know really but you may have something here.

Amber Nash

How is it working with H. Jon Benjamin? He was awesome in the cartoon home movies as mcguirk.

bigboss101010

I loved Home Movies too! He's a delight, I mean a surly delight but a delight. He's is just as sarcastic in real life. It's like working with an older brother that is a jackass.

Amber Nash

What was your most entertaining episode of archer to voice??

d1ng052

I loved recording the Papal Chase, with Pam and the Pope and Woodhouse.

Amber Nash

Hey Amber. I'm a big fan of Archer and was wondering what is your favorite characteristic or personality trait Pam has?

nate8474

I really love that she doesn't give 2 fucks what anyone thinks of her. It really is refreshing and I think we could all use a little more of that.

Amber Nash

JohannTheGuard

Amber Nash

If you could have Pam Poovey ride into battle on any animal, which animal would it be? Would you choose a different animal for yourself?

velocikitten

Well I guess I would choose a dolphin for Pam because they have such a special connection, it just makes sense.
For me I think I would choose...A DICK

Amber Nash

How did you get into voice acting? The documentary "I Know That Voice" makes it seem impossible to break in if you're not already in that circle of ten or so people who get all the jobs.

kingfishcoons

It's true and that is what everyone told me in the beginning. I actually started because a friend that does improv with me in Atlanta is also a Creative Director at an ad agency and he needed some vo for commercials and stuff and I was easy to work with and cheap so he used me a few times, then I did a few radio spots. Because I worked at Dad's Garage the guys making Sea Lab 2021 knew me because an animator that worked with them Christian Danley was also an improviser at Dad's, so I got to audition for Frisky Dingo and didn't get the role I auditioned for but got a different one later and then the rest is history. So, I do think I got pretty lucky. But I'll say being cool to work with and easy going on jobs, is probably the best thing I have going for me, it makes such a big difference.

Amber Nash

The episode in season 6 (Pocket Listing), where Pam and Archer were talking about being best friends. That was probably my favorite moment of the whole season because it was so damn genuine. I almost feel like you and Jon were talking to each other and didn't even know the mics were on.

BolognaTime

I know! I loved that so much too!

Amber Nash

I use to work for a content streaming service, and my job was to make sure that the CC matched the audio.

I thought it was funny that every single humping sound was individually captioned (as opposed to just displaying "Humping Noises").

Diochs

Amber Nash

You and Lucky Yates are both heavily involved in improv. Was that something that you were always interested in, or did you sort of fall into it?

PrizeFighter23

I was getting a degree in Biology and thought man this sucks I need an outlet for fun. So I found improv. Then I changed my major to Psychology and then got a real job after college and I was like man this sucks so I quit and became a full time improviser, not the smartest choice financially but I loved it so much I wanted to see if I could make a go of being a performer.

Amber Nash

Holy shit-snacks, thanks for doing this AMA!
So who is your favorite character on Archer and why is it Krieger?

Pickle1477

I gotta say I think my favorite is Gillette. He's the best and Lucky is the model for that character, so almost as good as Krieger.

Amber Nash

Because it's all done through voice acting, do you even get to interact with the other Archer cast members much or is it kind of done on separate days?

House923

Well we all live in different cities so when we are working we never see each other. I record in Atlanta so I get to see the crew that makes the show and Lucky but everyone else is in LA or NY. So we really only see each other at events.

Amber Nash

Good morning and thanks for doing this ama!

How does Pam die?

araeos

The year is 2036 and humanity is on the brink of extinction after the AI started this god damn war. The only humans left are bands of roving mercenaries who have made an art out of killing machines. Pam is still recognizable as Pam even though her blonde hair has mostly turned gray and a DIY eyepatch made out of leather and shoelaces is strapped to her face. Rising through the ranks of this brigade of freedom fighters wasn't easy but now she is their leader. She crouches on the rooftop of a bombed out building, peering through a set of night vision binoculars, she spies on a group of humanoid machines below. She can't believe her luck, she's looking down at a group of AI officers. You can drown a toddler in her pants right now, she's so excited to blow these motherfuckers up. The bomb is already set, she just needs to push the trigger. Just a few more steps and they're in the blast radius. At the last second one of them notices her and she has no choice but to charge in, tackling three of the robots immediately into the blast zone. She pins them down and pushes the trigger. BOOM. One of her comrades rushes up to see her dying with a beam of metal sticking through her chest. "My God, you're impaled on that rod" he says, "phrasing..." she says as she drifts away. A fitting death for the planet's greatest warrior.

Amber Nash

I've always wondered how this affects the acting method--what do you play off? Have you done a (phone? Skype?) read through first, are assistants feeding you lines, etc. Do the producers just make you do retakes until it matches the voice in their heads?

phtll

We usually just read each of our lines 3 different times, sometimes if it's not feeling right some one will read with us but honestly not very often.

Amber Nash

Is there a line that you said in an Archer recording session that was almost impossible to get out?

mnbutler

At the beginning of Season 2 when Pam is Rasta Pam, they wanted me to record everything with a Jamaican accent and after about 30 minutes they were like ok, you are terrible at this and it's not working...

Amber Nash

What is your favorite vegetable?

drphilthy

Uh...zucchini?

Amber Nash

Want some bear claws?

ComancheCorps

Amber Nash

tmmtx

When I was 19 I fancied myself a real badass and challenged a guy that I worked with to a tequila drinking contest. We actually sold tickets to our apartment. My roommate's Mom was visiting from Florida and bought us the booze. We went shot for shot until I think I died. It was like 15 shots or something, I really shouldn't have survived. He passed out in my bed and I decided that it was time to start punching contests. I eventually passed out too, on the floor next to my bed. In the middle of the night, I woke up needing to vomit (naturally) and crawled to the toilet to barf but it wasn't the toilet, it was my bed that the loser was passed out in. When his girlfriend got there, she crawled into bed with him. I had started the evening off with 2 Arby's roast beef sandwiches.

Amber Nash

Hey Amber! I simply love Pam for how she is through and through, do you share any similarities to the character that many of us have come to know and love?

FiveGuysAlive

If I could get hired as a bouncer at a strip club I would totally do it.

Amber Nash

So when they put all of your lines together it just works? The way this show comes off (phrasing?) seems like you are all in the same room. I would be interested to see an episode split screened with each of you as you are recording your lines with the animation as well to tie it together.

Unofficial_Officer

We have an amazing sound editor Brad Zimmerman. And that would be a great DVD extra!

Amber Nash

Hello Amber! Thank you for doing another AMA. What has your favorite experience been making Archer? And if you could change your character with any other who would it be?? (So if it is Krieger you would him and he would be Pam)

romes8833

I think you've come up with the whole plot line for Season 8! Pam and Krieger Freaky Friday!

Amber Nash

Have you ever done cocaine?......specifically a ton of it?

mojo7464

Ummm....no?

Amber Nash

I'm a local Dad's Garage fan and always enjoy your performances. I feel like you've mastered the 'old lady' character and it shows in Hart of America. I know you're being funny, but sometimes do you see that and think, "oh shit! that's going to be me one day"? Keep up the awesome work!

Amber Nash

Are you aware of the following that Archer has in the US intelligence community? What words of advice do you have for us/them?

qbubbles

I am well aware of the following Archer has in the US intelligence community because I've been monitoring you email for weeks.

Amber Nash

Hello Amber,
I'm thinking of moving to Atlanta from Tampa, what would you say to convince me that this is a good idea?

Tukphard

Blunts, Booty and Bitches!

Also we have a really great arts scene.

Amber Nash

Who do you think would win in a bare knuckle boxing match, Pam or Brad Pitt's character from Snatch?

Jebiba

Uhh really? PAM

Amber Nash

Pam Poovey is my spirit animal, and I want to thank you for doing such an amazing job of bringing her to life. She could have been such a one-dimensional character, and it's so great that she isn't.

How much are you able to play around with the character and ad-lib lines for Archer, or do you pretty much just stick to the script? Has being the voice of Pam changed any aspect of your personal outlook on life?

COPYstamp

I got so lucky that the character developed into someone so awesome. I think Adam saw that Pam could be so much crazier and went for it and knew I could go there. Being the voice of Pam has made me really appreciate that she is a sex symbol in a new and unexpected way and it's really amazing and awesome.

Amber Nash

Hi Amber! What would you recommend to someone trying to break into the improv scene in Atlanta, beyond classes? Also, who is your favorite improviser at Dads Garage? Heart of America was amazing, keep up the great work.

voidofconfidence

Great question! After you've done loads of classes, I think the most important thing is to get on stage anywhere, everywhere, you learn a lot just getting into it and seeing how audiences react to you on stage, it's one of the best learning experiences. Check out Highwire in Decatur! Find any opportunity you can to play with loads of folks. Thursdays at Dad's we draw a student out of a bucket to play with us and it's so fun. We will have a student night at the new Dad's also! My favorite improviser at Dad's is such a hard question, there are so many amazing people to play with. I'd say for my money though, if I were doing a 2 hander with another person I'd choose Matt Horgan!

Amber Nash

I personally consider Pam to be one of my role models. She is confident (but not afraid to admit when she's not), smart, funny, brave, and a general badass. I feel empowered when I see Pam go for what she wants and take pride in who she is(as a nerdy, chubby lady myself).You bring that extra level of strength and vulnerability to what could easily be a stereotypical "weird fat chick". Do you find that people often pick up on what makes Pam so special? How does it feel to be a part of empowering women like me?

PatchworkGirlOfOz

Thanks for the great question! That has actually been one of the surprisingly best things about this job, I never expected it. A lady stood up at SDCC this year cosplaying Pam and said thanks for making a character so that she didn't have to be fat Cinderella or fat Leia, she could just be Pam and it brought the house down and that is how our panel ended. THANKS! I'm gonna send you a dolphin puppet!!! Can you DM me your mailing address?

Amber Nash

What other cartoons would you like to guest voice act on?

G-Bombz

I'd love to do Bob's Burgers or Simpsons or South Park or the Flintstones is they ever remake it!

Amber Nash

Who was your favorite version of Pam, pre-cocaine, or cocaine-adict?

zarkan80

I love them both but I gotta stick with classic Pam.

Amber Nash

Hi Amber! Huge fan, love your work! Do you have an extra pair of panties because mine are currently in the deep end of an Olympic sized swimming sploosh...or at least whatever the male version of that is...

Holy_Shit_Snacks

Amber Nash

What do you feel was your personal breakthrough moment for your career? And what do you think is the most surprising success you have had so far?

swornhabit1

That's a tough but very good question.
I think there wasn't one big ah ha breakthrough, getting Frisky Dingo is what really set me on my current path and working with Matt and Adam. I think in season 2 when I really started to get my legs and confidence and realized that people really loved Pam was pretty amazing! Also, having the guts to quit a good job to be an artist full time when there was no indication back then that I'd ever really be able to make a career of it. The most surprising success so far is probably being on a show that's been nominated for 2 Emmys.

Amber Nash

If you had to choose your favorite episide of Archer, what would it be? Favorite acting experience?

Kanotari

I loved Southbound and Down, I love Archer and Pam together gettin' shit done.
I think my favorite acting experience was doing Archer Live, being on stage with Chris, Aisha, Jon, JESSICA!